Barcelona are confident of tying Lionel Messi to a new deal in the first week of August.
Messi is currently a free agent after his previous deal lapsed at the end of last season.
There was talk of a move away from Catalunya, but the indications are that Messi has agreed terms on a five-year contract with Barcelona.
The stumbling block concerns Barca’s need to cut their wage bill to bring the club in line with La Liga’s salary cap.
Barca are working behind the scenes to trim their wage bill – with the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Samuel Umtiti, Miralem Pjanic, Philippe Coutinho and Martin Braithwaite all linked with moves away from the club.
Sport is reporting that Barca expect to have made the required progress by the first week of August, which is when Messi is due to return for pre-season training.
Messi is unable to play competitively for Barca until his contract has been registered, meaning the club must comply with La Liga’s salary cap before they can field their talisman.
Barcelona begin their 2021/22 Liga campaign against Real Sociedad on August 15.
